21 other activists, including Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja are also POCs

Amnesty International has called for the immediate release of Nabeel Rajab, the director of the Bahrain Centre for Human Rights, who was arrested at the weekend and charged with “insulting a national institution”.

Amnesty considers Mr Rajab to be a prisoner of conscience.

Rajab was arrested on arrival at Bahrain International Airport on Saturday evening, following a trip to Denmark, Sweden and Lebanon. Just before travelling abroad he had been summoned for questioning by the Public Prosecutor after the Ministry of Interior accused him of sending “insulting” tweets. He did not attend because of his travel. 

The activist was brought to the Public Prosecutor's Office on Sunday and interrogated. Rajab’s lawyer said about eight insulting tweets were mentioned, and he was given a seven-day detention order, pending investigation. Rajab also appeared before a lower criminal court on Sunday in relation to another case against him, in which he is charged with calling for participation in illegal gatherings in which some protesters acted violently. The trial was adjourned until 22 May.

Rajab has denied all charges against him and is currently held in al-Houra police station in Manama.

Amnesty International Middle East and North Africa Director Philip Luther said:

“This is the Bahraini authorities’ latest attempt to clamp down on dissenting voices in the country.
 
“Nabeel Rajab is a prisoner of conscience and he must be immediately and unconditionally released.
 
“Nabeel Rajab has not called for the use of violence - in fact he has publicly stated he is against the use of violence in protests - so the authorities have no grounds to punish him.

"Peaceful public gatherings and freedom of expression must be allowed in Bahrain, in line with the country’s international obligations to uphold these rights.”

Repression of government critics has continued in Bahrain despite government pledges to implement reforms recommended in November, when a team of international jurists published a key report on the crackdown on protests. The Bahrain Independent Commission of Inquiry - chaired by Egyptian jurist Cherif Bassiouni - prescribed wide-ranging change that included decriminalising public gatherings. However, key recommendations have so far not been implemented.

Bahrain’s High Criminal Court of Appeal today held its first session in the case of 21 prominent opposition activists, seven of whom were being tried in absentia. However, the trial was adjourned until 21 May because two defendants are in hospital. One of the men, human rights activist Abdulhadi Al-Khawaja, has been on hunger strike for more than two months in protest at his unfair imprisonment. Amnesty understands his physical condition is critical.

Amnesty considers all those currently detained in the case to be prisoners of conscience and is calling for their immediate and unconditional release.